Q&A > James Melville

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What inspired or motivated you to become a diplomat?

My uncle was a DOD Civilian in Europe his entire career. We were very close and visited frequently. When he lived in Munich, he had friends at our Consulate there and they were really interesting and engaging people. One of them went on to the Board of Examiners and she encouraged me to take the exam (though she had moved on by the time I did). Public Service always appealed to me and I had a semester-long stint on Capitol Hill working for a Congressman. I always intended to enter government that way once I had my law degree, but when I passed the FS Exam, the chance to live and work overseas, representing America and learning about other cultures and languages was too appealing a prospect to turn down.

Who was your best boss and why?

I had many wonderful bosses whom I admired and emulated as best I could. Two in particular, though, really had a tremendous impact on my career and my life. The first was Ambassador Jim Moran, who was my boss in Seychelles. Ambassador Moran was a proud “Admin Officer” who had been Admin Counselor in Beijing and was the Executive Director of AF before going to Victoria as COM for his last tour of duty. Knowing I was an Admin Officer, too (even though my assignment was as Consular Officer), he said he would load me up with other experiences and responsibilities, and I was not to touch “admin work” at all. So he made me the Econ Officer, the acting Public Affairs Officer, with responsibility for the American Cultural Center and its local staff, and the USAID Liaison Officer, among other things. He also made me responsible for extending a USAF Base Agreement that was expiring. Seychelles was a very distant post and not one of these responsibilities (AID gave Seychelles $3 million per year) were covered by officers at post. I got a chance to hone skills I never would have otherwise. Moreover, Jim—who was very smart, hardworking and a lot of fun, became a friend and mentor. In addition, because the post was so small, I got to see him nearly every day—and attend all his rep functions, sometimes 4 times a week. The other boss I would name is Bill Burns. I first worked for Bill when he was Executive Secretary and I was a Senior Watch Officer in the Ops Center. Later I was Minister Counselor for Management in Moscow the whole time Bill was Ambassador there. His intelligence and his kindness were his stock in trade, and he was an inspirational leader who showed deep respect for everyone in his Mission and for our professionalism. Bill trusted me enough in Moscow that I became the default A/DCM and wound up serving over 6 months in that role over my last 2 years at post—even serving as Chargé d’Affaires on a few occasions). Without that experience, I don’t think I would have sought or been chosen to serve as DCM in Berlin, which is what set me up to be Ambassador in Tallinn. Bill was never hung up on our caste system and really saw what each individual on his staff could do.

What would you tell your a-100 self?

Relax. Take the long view. This is a career and you will learn many new things from each job you wind up taking. The world is your oyster!

Describe a day you felt you made a difference.

I was the SWO on duty when Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. It had been a quiet Saturday shift up to the point where Ambassador Marty Indek called from Tel Aviv to speak to the SWO. He was with the PM and was calling to report what happened. I got Secretary Christopher, who was home, on the line right away and at their request, stayed on the line while we mapped out how to do the alerts. Then my team went to work alerting the whole USG and helping organize a massive trip to Israel the next day for Rabin’s funeral, led by President Clinton. The competence and drive of my team that day and night was a beautiful thing to see, as we helped the Secretary and Senior Leadership reach out and connect all of our allies and partners to the dramatic events and the opportunity they might have of joining President Clinton in Jerusalem. Watching one of my officers brief the King of Morocco in beautiful French as she worked her way through the Francophone list is one of my most satisfying memories when I think back on a year in Ops that is packed with them.

What has a colleague done for you that made you wish all of us had a colleague like that?

I have been the fortunate recipient of so many acts of kindness by colleagues that it is hard to pick just one. A common feature of many happy memories is just being appreciated and treated with respect by more senior people. It started when I was a junior officer and when my parents arrived to visit us, and when the Ambassador learned they were visiting, he had us all over for lunch. What a kind and thoughtful gesture that I haven’t forgotten 35 years later. I have tried to emulate that example throughout my years of service.  

What was the mistake you learned the most from?

During my first tour, I went to the airport to pick up a visiting Assistant Secretary of State and bring him to the Embassy for meetings with the Ambassador, DCM, etc.—this was before cell phones or pagers. The Assistant Secretary told me to drive him around town and show him a representative sampling of Embassy housing. So I did. I should have known better and when we showed up at the Embassy a couple of hours later, I thought the likelihood of my ever-getting tenure had gone way down. But I certainly learned that if you can be too accommodating to visitors, you risk pissing off the home team. So don’t do it.

What was your best and worst experience working with the interagency?

A great interagency experience was dealing with the fallout from Edward Snowdon’s treachery while I was DCM in Berlin with a huge assist from the NSC. The worst—by far—was dealing with USAID. while trying to consolidate services. A nightmare. It is an impossible task to get colleagues in another agency to act collegially when their intent all along is to sabotage your efforts.

What is the one tour you would recommend FSOs consider?

The Ops Center. There is no better place to get a full appreciation for the breadth and depth of the work and responsibilities of the Department of State.

If the state department had a mascot, what animal should it be?

I will stick with the Bald Eagle. As the keeper of the Great Seal of the United States and the first cabinet position, I think it belongs to us!

What was the biggest challenge of FS life for your family, and how did you manage it?

The biggest challenge, honestly, was having two children with special educational needs. Finding appropriate schools was always a challenge but there is a lot of assistance available in Med. We ultimately had to send one of our children to boarding school for high school, which was extremely painful for all of us. However, in the end, it was the right thing to do.

What is your leadership philosophy?

I think one of the most important aspects of successful leadership is the ability to trust your teammates and empower them. Obviously, you want to make sure they understand their role and have the tools necessary to do their jobs, but micromanaging and questioning their every decision is disastrous to building competence and confidence. Most mistakes can be corrected—and are learning experiences as well. But if you want to build a team with spirit and good morale, you have to trust its members.

What tips would you give a first-time manager?

Think of your role as leader of a team. How would you want to be treated? What leadership would you most appreciate and benefit from in terms of developing knowledge, skills and experience. Then provide that to the people you work for. This works whether you are a first-time manager or the Chief of Mission.

What would you change about the State Department?

I think the State Department needs to engage much more deeply with American citizens. There is so much lack of knowledge and appreciation for the work and the importance of diplomacy. I would try to do much more to explain our work at home, to build understanding and commitment to the work of State.

What were your pet peeves?

Dishonesty is the one thing that I have a hard time understanding or forgiving. Be honest. Tell the truth. Period. There have been a relatively few occasions where I knew (or found out quickly) that I was being lied to and they are seared in my memory along with the colleague who lied. They are not good memories. Fortunately, it did not happen often (and the worst one was by a political appointee, I am happy to say).

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